PATTANI, Thailand – A large car bomb exploded midnight Tuesday outside a hotel in Thailand’s deep south, killing one and wounding more than 30 in a nation already on edge after a bombing spree that targeted tourist towns. The latest blast struck before midnight on the outskirts of Pattani, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces battered by a long-running and shadowy insurgency. "So far there is one killed and more than 30 injured," said Major General Thanongsak Wangsupa, Pattani provincial police commander. Police said in a statement that the Pattani hotel blast was preceded by a smaller bomb at a nearby bar, a so-called "double tap" tactic often adopted by insurgents. Near-daily shootings and roadside bombs have left more than 6,500 dead since 2004, most of them civilians.

Source: Viet Nam News August 24, 2016 04:18 UTC